United States of America -- Maine -- Hancock County -- Southwest Harbor
Scope and Contents:
Alexandra's Cottage related holdings consist of 2 folders, 9 35 mm. slides, 1 photographic print, and 15 digital images (2013). The folders includes worksheets, site plans, photocopies of articles and other historical information about the property and former owner Abby M. Fulton, brochures from garden open days featuring the property, and additional information.
General:
Built in the late 1880s, the Queen Anne style Alexandra's Cottage, was designed as a fashionable summer retreat. The property has had many owners over the years, with the current ones assuming custody in 1991. At that time they engaged landscape architect Patrick Chassé to help in the development of the gardens. Surrounded by a spruce forest, the property includes native plantings (blueberry, huckleberry, bunchberry, and ferns) as well as a large sunken terrace with multiple perennial beds overlooking Southwest Harbor. A unique feature of the design is the main entry court at the front of the house, which includes a bluestone platform topped by numerous trough gardens, bonsai, and potted succulents. A netted fence around the entire property provides protection from deer.
This garden is located on 1.75 acres with a large shingled cottage that was built around 1897. It is located near Southwest Harbor on Mt. Desert. When the house and grounds were bought in 1991, one of the new owners was an enthusiastic and talented horticulturist who had a degree in horticulture from Temple University, was a longtime member of The Garden Club of America (GCA), and recipient of many GCA horticulture awards. In 1994 she joined The Garden Club of Mt. Desert, and her garden was documented first in 1997 and again in 2013. The driveway circle and a porte-cochère in front of the house. The owner's collection of planted troughs and containers (some with bonsai trees), were displayed around the edge of the circle each summer. The middle of the circle was planted with viburnums, dwarf conifers, Kalmia, Fothergilla, perennials, and three trees. The front garden also included a small vignette garden with black stones, a bird bath, and a sculpture of a boy by Edwin Fenno Hoffman. Each summer, a collection of favorite potted plants were placed along the foundation at the front of the house, and the house's many window boxes were filled with annuals. A garage adjacent to the house, also housed a plant room where the owner did her propagation work. The back of the house featured a wraparound porch looking out on the garden with a view of Southwest Harbor. The back garden featured a long perennial border running down one side of an expansive rectangular lawn. At the edge of the lawn was a low wooden fence separated a second vegetable and flower garden.
Persons associated with the site and garden include Patrick Chassé (landscape architect, 1991 to date), Abby M. Fulton (former owner, 1887-1911) Sally Lutyens (former owner, 1973-1980); Margaret H. Konsberg (former owner, 1980-1991); Samuel and Elise Felton (former owner, 1991-2013).
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
